1. कोरोना महामारी से बिगड़े हालात सामान्य होने के बाद फिर खुलेगा करतारपुर कॉरिडोर: पाकिस्तानी मीडिया

Key points:

1. गुरु नानक देव से जुड़े ऐतिहासिक गुरुद्वारे के लिए गलियारे का भारत में 26 नवंबर 2018 को और पाकिस्तान में 28 नवंबर को शिलान्यास किया गया था
2. 9 नवंबर 2019 को गुरुनानक देव जी के प्रकाशोत्सव पर गलियारे को जनता को समर्पित कर दिया गया था, 15 मार्च से है बंद
3. महाराजा रणजीत सिंह की पुण्यतिथि पर पाकिस्तान ने गलियारा खोलने की बात की तो भारत सरकार ने कर दिया था खारिज

(Dainik Bhaskar, 3 October, 2020) News Link

• Relation with Burma
• Foreign secretary, Army chief to visit Myanmar tomorrow amid India-China standoff

Key points:

1. Foreign Secretary Harsh V. Shringla and Indian Army Chief M.M. Naravane will visit Myanmar on 4-5 October. The two-day visit comes amid ongoing border tensions between India and China in Ladakh.
2. Shringla had held a virtual meeting with Myanmar Permanent Secretary U Soe Han last week, even as China tries to increase influence over India’s neighbourhood, diplomatic sources told ThePrint.
3. Sources also said that the focus of this impending visit will be on the border area development. An MoU on India-Myanmar Border Area Development was signed in 2012, according to which New Delhi will provide $5 million each year over a period of five years to Nay Pyi Taw. This MoU was later extended till 2022.
4. “These projects, undertaken in the Chin State and Naga Self-Administered Zone, have been known to deliver enormous benefits to the people and been empowering the local communities,” said an official requesting anonymity.

(The Print, 3 October, 2020) News Link

• European countries

1. German envoy’s Wind of Change redux, with a little help from India

Key points:

1. As diplomats grappled with Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns, German ambassador Walter Lindner was busy with a secret project to mark the 30th anniversary of Germany’s reunification on October 3 – a new version of the Scorpions song Wind Of Change recorded with Indian musicians.
2. Lindner, an accomplished musician who plays instruments such as the guitar, piano and flute and has released several albums, said he opted to record an Indian version of Wind Of Change, an “unofficial anthem of freedom, hope and change”, to mark German Unity Day instead of organising a webinar or digital workshop. “On this historic day, German
3. Technology played a key part in the venture – singer Chetan Dominic Awasthi recorded his vocals at home in Noida, sarod, tabla and sitar players Pandit Vikash Maharaj, Prabhash Maharaj and Abhishek Maharaj recorded their parts in Varanasi while drummer Peter Retzlaff sent in his part from New York – and the envoy put everything together in his well-equipped home studio. Besides the drums and the Indian instruments featured in the song, Lindner played all other instruments. The song also features on Lindner’s new CD , A Journey’s Songbook, which has several Indian musicians and is a mix of rock, soul, jazz and Indian music.
4. The envoy spoke to Klaus Meine, whom he has since befriended, to get the rights for the song. Lindner said Meine told him an Indian version would be a “wonderful idea because the song is about building bridges across cultures”. The video for the track features footage of the Scorpions, and has an endorsement from Meine, who says: “Today, we’re building bridges across borders and cultures for a better and more peaceful world.”

(Hindustan Times, 3 October, 2020) News Link

• Relation with African countries
  • India, South Africa ask WTO to waive off patents, IPs for faster Covid-19 care

Key points:

1. India and South Africa have asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waive certain conditions of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement that could impede timely access to affordable medical products to combat Covid-19.

(Indian Express, 3 October, 2020) News Link

1. New Zealand-India Education Week from Oct 5 to 9

Key points:

1. A Virtual Education Conclave – New Zealand-India Education Week – with universities and executives from New Zealand will be held from October 5 to 9 between 10.30 am and 11.30 am. The online series will bring together researchers, experts and academia from across New Zealand and Indian education and business landscape.
2. It is a first such event organised by Education New Zealand (ENZ). The event will be inaugurated by David Pine, New Zealand High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh, and Ambassador-Designate to Nepal, and John Laxon, Regional Director-Asia, Education New Zealand on October 5.

(Times of India, 3 October, 2020) News Link

• Relation with Hongkong
• Because India Is Fighting China. So India Is My friend!’: Hong Kong pro-democracy protester who wrapped himself in Tricolour

Key points:

1. Pro-democracy protesters of Hong Kong seem to have found inspiration in India’s strong resistance to China’s unprovoked aggression as they wrapped themselves in the tricolour and marched on China’s National Day in Causeway Bay on Thursday.
2. Reporting from the spot, the journalist further said, “He is now holding the flag above his head, shouting STAND WITH INDIA… The crowd is applauding him.”
3. Undeterred by the heavy police presence, the man walked on the street wearing the Indian flag as tens of thousands of Hong Kong nationals marched, chanting slogans like “Disband the police” and “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times”, said media reports
4. “HongKong and India shared a long history. Tens of thousands of  Hong Kongers of South Asian heritage were born here. This gentleman feels a tribute to the Indian nation is long overdue, so he honors the tricolour on China’s national day. #October1stProtest #HongKongProtests,” he wrote.
5. Its response is also being seen as an attempt to intimidate countries like India where several companies have announced to shift their units, taking a cue from the current pandemic and previous episodes of deadly outbreaks emanating from China.

(India Blooms,3 October, 2020) News Link

• Relation with Afghanistan
• Afghanistan’s top negotiator Abdullah Abdullah to visit India on October 6

Key points:

1. Afghanistan’s top negotiator for intra-Afghan talks Abdullah Abdullah will visit India and start his four-day trip from October 6. He as the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation represents the Afghan govt in talks with Taliban which started in September in Doha.
2. Joint Secretary, PAI or Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran division of Ministry of External Affairs, JP Singh had met him on the sidelines of the beginning of the intra-Afghan ceremony on September 12 in Doha.At the ceremony, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said, “Interests of minorities, women and vulnerable sections of society must be preserved and the issue of violence across the country and its neighbourhood has to be effectively addressed.”
3. New Delhi is Afghanistan’s major development partner and has built number infrastructure projects in the country like India-Afghanistan friendship dam in the western province of Herat and the Afghan Parliament in capital Kabul.

(Zee News, 26 September, 2020) News Link